[Lancaster] Geekup tonight?

[andy baxter]

On 17/01/12 11:11, Darren Poulson wrote:
>
> Cheers for the feedback! :)
>
> I am planning on having a wiki of some form. I'd initially just shoved 
> a wordpress site up, but the wiki modules weren't that good. I'll 
> possibly put a full wiki on there soon.
>

If you haven't done this yet, dokuwiki is a nice simple PHP wiki which 
has easy syntax (e.g. **bold** instead of lots of single quotes), 
supports handy things like namespaces, and doesn't need a database. 
There are also plugins to do neat things like 2 way syncing between a 
local copy of the wiki and the one on the web. I use this on my personal 
site (http://highfellow.org), and I've found it pretty good.

> I agree, an actual premises is a long term goal. Need to measure 
> actual need and support for now. If we can get a good community going 
> then we should be able to find somewhere affordable.
>
> There is a mailing list set up now, the link is at the bottom of the 
> main page, and I've put a link to the archive on the main menu too. To 
> join, send an email to chat+subscribe at lancasterlab.org.uk. Only a chat 
> one set up for now, but if more specific things are needed, only takes 
> two seconds to create a new one.

The list I was thinking about it a bit more general - I was just 
thinking that it would be good to have a list for anyone thinking of 
setting up a small community oriented project in the area to talk to 
people doing similar things. This might be broader than just geek stuff. 
I'm still waiting for my friend to say what he thinks of the welcome 
email I drafted (see below) before I set it up.

For the welcome email, I was thinking of something like:

------

Welcome to the 'Lancaster project spaces' email list.

The main purpose of this list is to provide a virtual space where people 
in the Lancaster area who are looking for workshop space for 
community-oriented projects or small businesses can talk with each 
other, and exchange ideas and information.

This could include, but is not limited to:
   - creative projects such as art or craft workshops.
   - practical or technical projects or businesses.
   - projects oriented towards health or mutual support.

The main requirement is that the project should have some commitment 
towards serving the needs of a community of people, rather than being 
focused purely on financial profit.

There is also a longer term aim of finding one or more larger buildings 
which could provide space for several projects under the same roof.

We are hoping to keep discussions on the list mainly focused on 
practicalities. E.g. helping each other to find workshop space, sharing 
advice on dealing with officialdom, etc., rather than too many 'wouldn't 
it be nice if...' ideas. People joining the list should also have some 
level of personal commitment towards setting up a particular project.

------